It was named after the former president of the IFA, Sir Manmatha Nath Roy Chowdhury, the Maharaja of Santosh who had died aged 61 in 1939.

[8] Until 2018, the tournament was organised as an individual competition, but since 2021, the AIFF rebranded it as the men's senior tier of National Football Championship for the regional teams of various age groups.

[3] In 1990, in an attempt to bring through more younger players, the AIFF made the Santosh Trophy into an under-23 competition.

[3] He was more aggressive against the tournament after striker Sunil Chhetri injured himself in the 2009 Santosh Trophy and had to miss the Nehru Cup.

[4] As a result, national team players were not allowed to participate in the tournament, which was also eventually reverted.